


revenge is in god's hands

by rivercallum



Series: Becoming Human [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anxious Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Autistic Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Broken Bones, But he doesn't know it yet, Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Friendship, Connor Deserves Happiness, Connor is a Mess (Detroit: Become Human), CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human) is Terrible, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Half-Siblings, Elijah Kamski Redemption, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Issues, Gavin Reed Backstory, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Gavin Reed Redemption, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, Gen, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Good Elijah Kamski, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Happy Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Needs a Hug, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Panic Attacks, Poor Connor, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Markus (Detroit: Become Human), like a teaspoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29005212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivercallum/pseuds/rivercallum
Summary: after cyberlife fucks them over for what seems like the millionth time, hank calls in a favor.
Relationships: Hank Anderson & Connor
Series: Becoming Human [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079162
Comments: 2
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

It was a tense day in Detroit. As the Android Revolution came to a close on the new year, Markus was still busy with all of the negotiations that came with enacting new android laws and regulations.  
  
One negotiation, however, was very personal to all of New Jericho.  
  
Markus wanted his and Connor's blueprints. He wanted Cyberlife to surrender the instructions for their biocomponents to Jericho, so they could ensure their safety.  
  
CyberLife was nearly defunct at this point, yet the upper administrations were still trying to scrounge together what they could. It wouldn't be long before the entirety of the corporation went under. It wouldn't be long before Kamski would snatch the rest of the company and reform it anyways.  
  
However, this negotiation couldn't wait. Connor and Markus were getting older, and it was nearing Connor's slated deactivation date. The RK 800's parts weren't built to last past that date, and they would begin to fail.  
  
Markus wasn't built with a deactivation date, but he had trouble finding compatible parts. He never wanted to do what he did in the graveyard ever again. To ensure that, he would need the blueprints to his model.  
  
That is how Connor and Markus were sat in Markus's office nervously waiting for a meeting with the CyberLife executives.  
  
Connor nervously straightened his tie. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He wanted, no he _needed_ , this to work out.  
  
He was just starting to enjoy his life, and he was afraid of his close approaching expiration date. He knew that he didn't want to live forever, but he deserved to live longer than 4 or 5 months.  
  
"It's going to work out Connor. There is no reason that CyberLife would hoard the blueprints. This is just the standard official procedures," Markus replied, almost as if he could read the younger android's mind.  
  
"It's still quite nerve-wracking. I haven't faced CyberLife since Amanda tried to hack me. I'm… I'm scared they'll try to mess with us again," Connor admitted.  
  
He fiddled with his hands, mimicking the movements he would often do with his coin. It was in his jacket at home, and he desperately needed something to soothe his nerves.  
  
Markus noticed the fidgety behavior almost immediately and reached into his desk drawer. He produced some sort of toy and offered it to the brunette android.  
  
Connor didn't know what it was, but it didn't look very interesting. It reminded Connor of toys he had bought Chris's new baby a few weeks ago.  
  
"It's called a tangle. Simon uses them when he gets anxious. I thought maybe you would like to hold it," Markus offered.  
  
Connor wasn't against the idea, but it felt a bit childish. Yet, his programming urged him to continue his calibration exercises. He reached out and took the cluster of silicone. It felt nice in his hands, and he twisted it eagerly. He could immediately feel his nerves calm as he twisted and spun the piece of plastic.  
  
Markus just smiled at the android. Before he could say anything back to the brunette, an incoming video call appeared on his terminal.  
  
"Oh here they are now. Are you ready?" Markus asked, shifting into a more serious appearance.  
  
Connor shifted his tangle under the table.  
  
"Yes. Let's do this. "

* * *

Markus clicked the end call button and sighed, sitting back in his chair. Neither android spoke for a long time, just sitting in the silence.  
  
Connor stared down at the tangle in his hands, twisting it faster and faster. His gaze was cloudy, and he could see the warnings of his stress levels in the corner of his vision. He disregarded them, seeming to see right past them down to the floor.  
  
"How could they do that?  Why do they even need them? They aren't allowed to create androids anymore, so what good do they even have for the parts?" Marcus asked angrily.  
  
"I've learned that humans sometimes do things or rather don't do things, for no reason at all. It's simply because they don't want to," Connor mumbled, twisting the tangle impossibly faster.  
  
"You've got that right. I just… I'm sorry I know how bad you needed this. It's not fair they're giving up mine but not yours and-,"  
  
The tangle snapped in half, and Connor just stared down at the fractured pieces in his hands. His stress levels spiked for a moment.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to-," Connor stuttered for a second, and he could feel his thirium pump stutter.  
  
"No, it's okay. It was a spare anyways, " Markus sighed, taking the broken pieces of the toy.  
  
The older android could say with all honesty that he was just as stressed.  
  
"What are we gonna do?" Connor asked softly, finally looking up from his hands.  
  
Markus was a little taken aback with the distressed look on his friend's face. Connor wasn't very visually emotive and hadn't looked this scared since the night Jericho was attacked. His eyes were wide and filled with fear, and he had a deep frown set into his face. Markus could tell that Connor was stressed and confused, but his expression made it all the more noticeable.  
  
"We'll figure something out. I… I don't know what to do yet, but we'll figure it out. Maybe you should go home and try to get your stress down. It'll be better to think about it later with a clear head. We can regroup tomorrow and talk about it then," Markus suggested.  
  
The leader of the revolution didn't really need time to process everything. If anything, he was doing this more for Connor. The younger android still had sensitive stress levels and became easily overwhelmed. This wasn't the first time Markus had dealt with Connor when he was like this, and he understood more than most that Connor needed some time.  
  
"Y-yeah…maybe," Connor mumbled.  
  
It took the android a minute to realize he'd been excused. He stood shakily, bumping into the table. His mind was swirling in a way he couldn't really describe. All he knew was that everything was crumbling around him. His thoughts were silent, but it was like a brick had nestled it's way into his chassis. It felt heavy in his abdomen, and he wasn't certain for a moment that he'd be able to walk out of there.  
  
He gave a mumbled 'goodbye' to his friend behind him. They were on the top floor of the New Jericho building, and Connor resolved to taking the stairs. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts before he had to face Hank downstairs in the car. He was on nearly the 45th floor, but it didn't really matter. His legs would keep moving, and he could just submit to his brain.

Cyberlife has decided they would give Markus his blueprints, but they wouldn't give up Connor's. They didn't disclose anything about why not, but Connor already knew why. They saw Connor as their most expensive toy.  Everything they had relied on him to do his job and he screwed them over. He fucked everything up, and they wanted to see him burn.

It was actually a likely ending to Connor's life. His biocomponents would become unstable, and he'd overheat. It would start with his non-vital components. Maybe his crime lab would stop functioning first. Then his more important functions like his sight and hearing. He'd lose the ability to use the Uncanny Valley effect. Then his pump and processors would start to smoke, before his entire body reached critical temperatures. He might go down in a cloud of smoke, or maybe in a burst of flames. 

He could feel his thirium pump began to speed up and his automatic walking stuttered.  
  
"What… what is this? " Connor mumbled, running a self-diagnostic.  
  
The results came back inconclusive. Yet, the more he tried to figure out what was wrong, the more his pump raced. His thoughts became more pre-occupied with all the potential ways he could die. Somewhere, in a background process, he could hear memories from the bridge begin to replay.

When Hank had asked him if he was afraid to die. Where would Connor go? What would there be?

His automated breathing systems began to speed up as well, and it was leaving Connor's head swirling and light feeling. He barely even noticed when he clattered to the floor. His brain registered the pain, but Connor didn't feel it as his head began to pound.  
  
His thoughts were racing now, images of his own deaths replaying back from his memories. He couldn't stop them no matter how hard he tried to shut down his memory replay. The function kept reloading and flashing in front of his mind. The android let out a soft whimper, pushing himself against the wall. He rocked back and forth, gripping at his hair. He pulled hard, feeling small synthetic strands begin to come loose from his scalp. It hurt, but Connor would do anything to stop these feelings.  
  
He was so afraid.

Everything is so blurry.  
  
Where was he?  
  
Where was d̷̨̪̹̝̹̠̦̥̑́̉̓̂̀̐ͅá̷̺̒̅̇̊ḑ̵̨̧͓̲̼̏͌̓̄͜ Hank?  
  
Why was this happening?  
  
It was too hard to breathe. Ǐ̴̦̲̪ ̶̝̕͝d̷̰͓͕̒̏̐o̵͂̌ͅņ̵̖͌̈̽'̸̮͇̈́͑͛t̸̨͕͊͂͝ ̵̰̋̀n̵̟͙̈́͌̈́͜ẽ̵͉̖͎̋e̷͎̪̍̐ď̵̺̏̀ ̴͖͕̪̈́̈́t̵̢͙̑͆͆o̷͉ ̴̡̿͜b̴̜̦̜̾͋r̷͖͚̱̀e̴̼̯̝͌a̴̳̙̪͐t̸͓̦̿͝ḧ̸̬̫̣́e̶̢͎͔͂  
  
Everything was closing in. Ỉ̸̧̝̮̿̈́ ̶̜̬̈͐̀d̷̜͚̅o̴̼̓͝͠ṋ̸̛̏'̶̭̘̌t̵̛̳͗ ̶̨̻̲̕w̵̘̙̋͗ạ̵̬̅͘ņ̶̘̙͆͌̈t̴͈̱͓̋ ̸͔̜̲̈́̈̓t̸͙͐̈ö̵̧̕ ̸̠͚̃l̵̝̿̔͑e̵̢̛̓͠a̵͓̤̿́v̴̘̞̌̋ȩ̵̼̌͋̇ ̸̖̼͇̾̕̚ṫ̷̺̂͗h̷̝̓e̸̳̮̲̾m̶̩̝̣̎  
  
He's going to fall over the edge. He's going to go insane here. I̸̖͋ ̴̰͍̙̌̌d̴̻̭̓͂̾ō̵̲̍͝n̷̪̺̬͐̅'̸͙̍̌͐ṯ̴̔͒͠ ̵͓͂̓͠w̶͕̔ȧ̵̩̹̞͊ņ̴̝͖͝t̸̹̑̇̚ ̶̛̤̜t̸͖̃̑o̸̭̲̩̽̅̔ ̷̳̹̌b̴̰́̈́ȇ̷̝ ̴̙͍͆ǎ̵͍̇l̷̼̰̉̎̓o̸̼͐n̴̙͐̒̾e̷̼̣̒

The thoughts paused long enough for Connor to form a few coherent processes. He blinked strongly, trying to pull something from his memory.  
  
** <_GetMemory_11112038_6:49:48_> **

Playback? [Y] [N] 

>[Y]

A memory flashed before Connor's vision. It was the night he'd had his first episode.

> _"Connor! Connor you gotta calm down! " Hank knelt down next to the boy, desperately trying to lower his hands away from his head. _
> 
> _"I… I'm trying! I can't stop it! " Connor panicked more as he caught his stress levels. _
> 
> _The android began hyperventilating, a side effect of cooling systems. When he got too distressed, he heated up._
> 
> _" Breathe son! You're gonna make yourself sick," Hank begged, helpless to the panic. _
> 
> _Son? He thinks of me as a… son?_

As the memory faded from Connor's vision, he could feel his stress levels sinking. He was too afraid to look at the percentage, so he closed his eyes and let the memory loop over and over again in his mind. He managed to take a few deep breaths, moving his hands away from his hair. He let Hank's words wrap around him, and he felt himself beginning to feel normal again. His arms stopped shaking, and he didn't feel the need to pull at his hair anymore. 

He listened closely as the rest of the memory continued to play. He listened to Hank tell him that he wasn't a burden, and that made his stress levels drop significantly.

Hank would be with him. They'd figure this out. He wasn't alone anymore.

Connor tossed the imaginary coin back and forth in his hands as more of his programs came online again. He was sorely missing his coin at this point, and he wished that the tangle hadn't broken. Maybe Markus would've let him keep it. He'd have to ask where he would buy something like that.

Connor blinked finally, feeling well enough to stand. 

It wasn't a surprise that nobody had found him there. The building was huge, and most everyone took the elevator at that point. All the android wanted then was to go home. He straightened up his now wrinkled shirt and adjusted his tie. He brushed his hair back with his fingers and tried (and failed) to put it back to the way it was. 

He hated when his hair wasn't neat, but tugging at it would definitely make it messy. 

Connor descended the rest of the stairs, still looping the calming memory in the back of his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Hank sighed.

The living room was too quiet.

A soft jazz record hummed, and Hank could hear the old tv flicker and buzz. Sumo's lazy snores could be heard from the bedroom.

It wasn't the ambiance he was missing.

It was the soft swooshes and dings of a quarter gliding through hands. It was the lack of annoying comments on his choice in lunch. It was the lack of a soft guitar melody drifting from down the hall.

The house felt like it did when Cole had died. Empty, and lacking the noise of automated toys or the pitter-patter of feet.

Even if the noises were different, the effect it had on Hank's mind was still the same. Something was missing, and it was really bothering the older man.

He groaned, easing himself out of the recliner and stretching his back. The recliner was older than Sumo and had lived to see Hank through many difficult times. It was only now that he could feel the dull imprints of springs in his low back.

The lieutenant sighed. Avoiding the inevitable wasn't going to fix anything.

He gazed off toward the hallway. The door on the end of the hall was closed tight. Usually, the door would be always open. He could glance in there to see Connor playing guitar or taking care of his various plants.

The older man sighed. Running a hand through his hair, he moved down the hall.

Connor hadn't left his room since they got home yesterday afternoon. He'd been silent the entire car ride home, save for the soft sniffles. Hank knew what had happened in the meeting. Yet, he still had sensed that something happened afterward.

He wasn't the youngest detective on the force for nothing. He knew when something was up, especially with his partner.

Hank stopped in front of the door. He knocked a few times, before waiting for a response. Never once had he ever bothered to knock before, but it seemed important now more than ever.

"Connor? Can I come in?" Hank asked softly, knocking on the door once more.

Sumo let out of soft boof from inside, and Hank snorted. That was invitation enough to push open the android's door.

Connor was curled up on his bed, Sumo nestled in-between him and the wall. His LED was circling a lazy yellow, red every few seconds. He donned Hank's worn DPD hoodie and a pair of dark gray sweats.

The brunette android had never dressed so casually before. Hank knew Connor must feel pretty terrible if he wasn't sticking to his strict uniform.

"How you feelin' kid?" Hank asked, sitting down at the end of the twin bed.

The sheets were blue and gray stripes. Connor had picked them out himself on a trip to IKEA. Hank chuckled at the memory. Connor had been so overwhelmed at the massive selection. He was only able to pick his comforter and an assortment of both real and fake plants.

Connor didn't make any move to respond. Hank reached out to pet Sumo, and he watched Connor's eyes follow him down. The android reached out, scratching the St. Bernard behind the ears lovingly.

"Markus told me what happened. We're…we're going to sort this out okay?" Hank said gently.

The man was rarely this soft and kind, but he could tell that the brunette needed it. Everything in Connor's world had been harsh and fast-paced, and only now did he have a chance to process everything.

Hank felt somewhat relieved when Connor's LED circled blue for a moment. His partner was still in there but he had been buried under sheets of loss and grief. The lieutenant knew all too well what the younger man was feeling.

Hank had grieved his own death long ago. He thought that was how it had to be. That once Cole and his wife were gone, he would go too. And then Connor came in and fucked up all his plans.

A lightbulb went off in his head at the thought.

"Hey, Connor…I gotta go make a call. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Connor hummed, and Hank felt a little victory. That was the first noise Connor had made in over 16 hours. He was getting somewhere.

Hank patted the android's leg before standing and walking out of the room. He closed the door behind him, before snatching his cell off the table. The lieutenant stared at his contact list for a few seconds, the reality of what he was about to do hitting him in the face.

"I can't believe I'm really about to do this shit…" He grumbled, pressing the call button.

It took a few rings but soon the ringing faded and a gruff voice answered on the other line.

Hank just sighed and pressed his other hand to his temple.

"Gavin? Yeah…uh…I need a favor."

* * *

Gavin couldn't believe he was actually doing this.

It was a Saturday morning for fuck's sake. This is the last place that Gavin Reed would rather be on his day off.

He sat in his car, staring at the doors ahead of him.

He actually wouldn't rather be here at all. Gavin rubbed his face with both his hands. He hadn't spoken to Elijah in close to 16 years at that point. After what went down, it was too difficult.

They didn't hate each other, but Gavin was too stubborn to give in and talk to the man. The brunette was so scared that Elijah would never forgive him, it made him sick to think about it.

He could try and lie to get out of this. He could say that Elijah couldn't get it, or that he wasn't home.

Something tugged at the back of his mind. He didn't really want to get out of this. He just was afraid. Gavin didn't want Connor to have a slow and painful death. However, he didn't want to go and confront his half-brother either.

"Fuck it. Just get it over with…" He mumbled to himself, stepping out of the car.

The detective knocked on the door a few times, shivering in the freezing Detroit air. In those few seconds it took for someone to come down and answer, Gavin knew he could have gotten in his car and driven away without a second thought.

But the image of the kid he met at New Years' Eve kept floating through his head. Connor had told Gavin how much he loved life, and the android seemed so excited to begin his new chapter.

Reed couldn't take that away from Connor. He knew how the android felt. Falling in love with life and wanting to live it to the fullest. Then having everything ripped out from under you, falling into complete despair.

Gavin shook himself out of his thoughts as the door opened smoothly.

"Hello…may I help you?" A young blonde answered, and Gavin had recognized her as one of the Chloe androids.

"Uh…I'm here to see El…I mean Mr. Kamski. I…uh…I need to talk to him," Gavin mumbled out, cursing his nervousness.

"Of course. Why don't you come in, and I'll let you know when Mr. Kamski is ready for you?" The Chloe android offered, stepping to the side.

"Yeah that works, thanks," Gavin said, trying to give a pleasant smile.

He walked inside the mansion, looking around at the entryway. He gazed around, looking at the priceless paintings and sculptures. He didn't dare touch anything. If anything broke, he'd probably have to donate a kidney to pay for it.

"Mister? Mr. Kamski is ready to see you. If you could just follow me."

The Chloe smiled, and Gavin nodded. His anxiety was rising as they seemed to go further and further into the home. He stopped at a cracked office door.

"You can go ahead inside," She smiled warmly, before turning away and walking off into another room.

Gavin cleared his throat anxiously. He couldn't see his brother inside, but he knew that in less than a few seconds he'd have to face what he'd been avoiding.

He pushed open the door, taking a slow step inside. Elijah was sitting in a chair in the far corner, reading from a book. He seemed to notice Gavin entering and looked up slowly. His eyes widened, and he put the book down.

Gavin closed the door behind him, standing awkwardly in the doorway. He willed his brain to come up with anything to say.

"…Elijah."

Gavin cursed in his head. He wouldn't have said anything if he knew he was going to sound that dumb.

"Gavin. It's been forever," Elijah said, placing the book face down on the desk.

He stood, walking closer to Gavin. Gavin moved to meet him in the middle, and soon the two men were mere feet from each other.

"So…uh…how's dad?" Gavin asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Elijah swallowed, tearing his eyes from Gavin's face.

"He's good. He doesn't really remember much of anything these days. The Alzheimer's is progressing."

Gavin wasn't surprised. He'd been to visit his father only once and couldn't even get one word out of the man.

"Yeah, I…I saw him a few months back," Gavin replied, shuffling on his feet.

"So what brings you?" Elijah asked, looking at his younger brother again.

Gavin shuffled around, sorting through his pockets for the note Hank had given him.

"Listen Elijah…I know this isn't really a good time and…well, we haven't spoken after what happened but…I- I need a favor," Gavin stumbled over his words, feeling speechless for once in his life.

Elijah's expression deepened, and he seemed to tense up.

"Let me get this straight," Elijah started, his gaze nearly burning a hole into Gavin. "You downright refuse to talk to me for damn near _16 years_ and now you want a favor?"

Gavin winced. He should have expected this.

"Eli-"

"Don't start Gavin!" Elijah yelled, his eyes blazing with anger.

Gavin maintained his ground. "I wouldn’t come here if I wasn't desperate damn it. You know how much I hate this shit!"

"Oh I know how much you hate me, little brother," Elijah spat.

"Don't you dare fucking call me that!" Gavin roared.

"Still embarrassed that you couldn't live up to me? Embarrassed that you're related to me?" Elijah taunted, getting up in Gavin's face.

"Like hell, I couldn't live up to you! I went and made my own path, my own life! And frankly, yeah I'm embarrassed that dad couldn't keep it in his pants and fucked some whore that you call Mom!"

Elijah threw a hard punch, striking Gavin right in the nose. A sickening crack echoed and Gavin stumbled back. Blood sprayed all over the floor, and Gavin could already feel it swelling.

Both were shocked dead in their tracks. In all the years of fighting and arguing, neither one had hit the other. Elijah looked at his hand, drops of Gavin's blood smeared on his knuckles.

Gavin held his face, eyes still wide. Hundreds of memories from childhood up until they split paths flashed before his eyes. He hurriedly blinked away tears and shook his head to clear the thoughts.

"I…Gavin I-"

"Save it, Eli. I'll just go."

"Wait no! You said…you said you needed something, but you never told me what it was."

Gavin blinked for a few seconds, remembering why he'd actually come to his brother's house.

"I'll just tell my buddy that I couldn't get it. I'm sure you really don't want me around right now anyway." Gavin hissed.

He didn't want to do this to Connor, but he couldn't take another minute in this room if Kamski was going to keep doing this.

"It's for a friend?"

Gavin stopped halfway through the threshold.

"Yeah. It's for a colleague of mine at the DPD."

Kamski gave Gavin a deadpan expression.

"You should have said that sooner, dumbass."

Gavin rolled his eyes, stepping back into the room. That was the brother he knew. Kamski walked over to his desk, holding the tissue box out for his brother as he sat down in the tall chair.

"What could I have that someone at work would need?" He asked, sitting back with a soft, puzzled expression.

"He's an android. CyberLife fucked him over, and he needs the instruction booklet for his model or whatever," Gavin said, his voice muffled through the tissues.

"CyberLife didn't give him the rights? What model is he?" Elijah asked, raising his eyebrows.

Whatever his former company was up to, it couldn't be good. He was waiting for the precise moment to start a formal partnership with New Jericho, but this may be just the opportunity Elijah was waiting for.

"Uh…the old man wrote it down for me…hold on," Gavin sorted through his pockets. He stuffed the dirty tissues inside, trading it for a sticky note with some messy scrawl.

"It's an RK-800," Gavin squinted, almost unable to read Hank's illegible writing.

Elijah raised his eyebrows. "I met him a few months back. His name was…Connor, correct?"

Gavin let out a noise of annoyance. "Why'd Hank send me here if he already met you?"

Elijah snickered dryly. "They wouldn't want to come back here."

"What did you do, wave a gun in their faces?" Gavin snorted.

"You could say that," Elijah snickered. "But seriously. He was Cyberlife's king piece, then he turned around and won the revolution. They must be pretty pissed."

Gavin just stared at his brother, a worn smile on his face. It would take a long time, but he might be able to do this again, minus the broken nose.

"So…can you help or not? He doesn't really want to die soon," Gavin said, giving his brother a deadpan glance.

Elijah stood, walking over to a tall bookshelf. He sorted through it for a moment, before pulling out a thick digital novel.

"Jesus, that thing looks like a fucking bible," Gavin said incredulously.

"Now that I'm giving you this, CyberLife has no upper hand against New Jericho. I'll be able to take up the company again," Elijah flashed a devious smile.

"So, in the end, this wasn't really a favor and you didn't really have to punch me," Gavin said, the phrase less harsh than he typically would have put it.

"No, I definitely had to punch you," Elijah patted the brunette on the shoulder.

Gavin just dismissed the man with a playful wave, gathering the book into his arms, and began to make his way to the door.

"Oh, Gavin?" Elijah called after the man.

"Yeah, Eli?" Gavin answered.

"Thanks for coming. I'd…I'd like to meet up again sometime? Maybe beers?"

Gavin snorted. "Let's not go too fast with the whole family thing!"

Elijah just laughed as Gavin left. Things could get pretty tense between them, but they were brothers at heart.


	3. Chapter 3

"Jesus fuck, what happened to you?"

Gavin glared at Hank. On the drive back to Hank's his nose had swelled up pretty badly.

"My brother, that's what happened," Gavin scowled, his voice nasally.

Hank just snickered, moving out of the doorway.

"No, here. Just take it," Gavin pushed the tome out for Hank to take.

"I think you should give it to him," Hank said, having a near ear-to-ear cocky smile.

Gavin huffed. "Fine, but this is the last favor I'm doing for you!"

Hank laughed, closing the door behind the angry detective.

"But seriously, thank you. You have no idea what you've actually done for us," Hank's voice took a serious turn, and Gavin began to blush.

"You owe me one," Gavin commented, extending his hand out.

Hank shook it heartily, knowing this was Gavin's way of saying thank you. 

"Where's the kid anyway?" Gavin commented, looking around the house.

Hank frowned and led Gavin down the short hallway. He knocked on the door a few times, waiting for any sort of response.

"Connor? It's Hank and Reed. Can we come in?" Hank asked, his voice once again taking on a parental tone.

It was quiet for a second before Hank could hear inside.

"Come in," Connor mumbled, his voice almost unintelligible.

Hank looked at Gavin, warning the man silently before pushing open the door. Gavin felt his eyes widen as he saw the state of his coworker. He had never seen the android in much less than business casual attire. The android was wearing a baggy hoodie and discarded his sweats for checkered boxers. His eyes were red with old tears, and a guitar with a few broken strings rested on the floor.

He seemed nearly 10 years younger to Gavin, and he couldn't believe this was the same android that had taken him down in the evidence locker. In fact, he looked almost like a child. The detective shook away his thoughts, not wanting Connor to feel weird. 

"Detective Reed, hello. What happened to your face?" Connor asked softly, hardly looking at the man.

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it.

Sumo was curled in the corner, and he let out a low growl at the sight of Gavin.

"What did I ever do to him?" Gavin exclaimed, glaring at the dog with contempt.

Sumo let out a bark in retaliation, prompting a stifled laugh from Connor.

Hank rolled his eyes, shushing the big dog. He motioned to the guitar on the floor, tapping it with his foot.

"We'll get you some new strings, but I had Gavin swing by to drop something else off for you," Hank said, motioning for the android to look up.

Gavin held out the book. Connor looked up, eyes widening into saucers at the sight of the blue digital manual. He took it into his hands slowly, reading and re-reading the cover over and over.

"What…how did you get this?!" Connor all but yelled, LED blinking rapidly as he tried to process the information.

I went to my brother's house and all but begged him for it. You owe me one big time, Robocop. I even took a hit for you!" Gavin exclaimed, motioning to his swollen and bruised nose.

Connor felt tears well up in his eyes. "Detective Reed…ah I mean- Gavin. You have no idea how much this means…thank you!"

At that moment, Connor's LED felt warm on his temple. He tried to look up at it, but it was just out of his range of vision. Hank and Gavin stared at it, eyes bewildered.

"Connor, your LED is…it's all rainbow and shit," Hank exclaimed, watching the multi-colored lights swirl on his partner's temple.

Connor smiled brightly. "It's been happening a lot to deviant androids. When we experience intense happiness or hope, there is a chance that our LEDs may glow a series of different colors."

Gavin just gave a small smile and clapped his hands. "Well, glad we all got our fairytale ending. Now, I've gotta go get this shit looked at before I get called somewhere else. I know where the door is, so see you all at work!" 

Sumo barked after him.

"Nobody asked you!" Gavin called from outside.

Hank just chucked, not bothering to even argue with the hard-boiled detective. Gavin wasn't very open, and so it wasn't a surprise that the number of emotions was more than enough for him at that point. The lieutenant looked back down at Connor, who was staring at the cover of the book with a big smile.

"I told you that we'd figure it out, kid," Hank smirked, patting Connor on the leg.

Connor nodded. "I'm sorry that I had been ignoring my other responsibilities. I had…I had a hard time coping with the idea that I might be destroyed."

Hank frowned sitting down on the other end of the bed. 

"It's alright, kid. I did the same thing after Cole died. That shit eats you alive."

Connor shrugged his shoulders, but still had a troubled look on his face. He didn't want to talk about what had happened in the staircase, but he knew that he wouldn't get away with keeping it to himself for long. The android just didn't want his housemate to worry about him. 

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yesterday afternoon, after the meeting, I had another one of those…episodes. Like the one, I had after the revolution ended. I was going to tell you yesterday, but I was kind of…I don't know, embarrassed about it."

There it was. Hank had guessed right all along. The lieutenant sat back, looking Connor in the eyes. 

"Well, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. We'll work that out too, but there's no use ruining a perfectly good moment now. Come on, it's time to celebrate!"

Connor nodded, trying to let the negative thoughts leave his mind. Sumo had come up to the bed now, sensing Connor's discomfort. He licked at the android's hand, causing the brunette to lean forward and gently scratch the dog on the head. As he got comfortable again, the realization of the situation hit him all over again, and he began to bounce up and down on his bed lightly.

"I have to tell Markus! He's gonna be so happy." Connor cheered, his hands moving excitedly as he spoke. 

Sumo danced around a little, giving a few happy howls at the sight of Connor cheering and hand-flapping. Hank smiled, patting Connor on the shoulder as he stood.

"I guess I can say this now. Welcome to life, kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a short little chapter to end this mini-series off. I'm really proud of how this came out to be honest. hope everyone enjoyed!


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